Price tag molding



June 4, 1957 R. J. SLAVSKY ET AL- 2,794;279

PRICE TAG MOLDING I Filed Dec. 19, 1955 INVENTORS. JOl/fl/ R. u s YROBERT J. SLAVSKI ArToR/YE) United States PRICE TAG MOLDING Robert J.Slavsky and John R. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Shaw andSlavsky, Inc., Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Substituted forabandoned application Serial No. 4895265, February 23, 1955. Thisapplication December 19, v 1955, Serial No. 553,320

1 Claim. or. 40-10 This application is a substitute for our co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 489,908, filed February 23, 1955.

The present invention pertains to a novel price tag molding for useespecially in supermarkets and also useful in stores of various kinds.

Such moldings are designed to receive replaceable price tags made of asuitable sheet material. One of the serious problems in this field is tomaintain the tag in such a manner that it cannot easily be slid bymischievous persons to positions adjacent to merchandise of a difierentprice than indicated by a given tag. Such dislocation of the price tagsleads to great annoyance and confusion in supermarkets.

Various shapes of moldings to meet this problem have been devised.Heretofore none has been practicable and satisfactory, for one reason oranother.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a molding thatholds the tag against forced sliding, while preserving the benefits of aconcave face and without undue distortion. Another object is to providea molding that performs in the stated manner notwithstanding variationsthat cannot practicably be avoided in the height and thickness of thetag. The tag is actually pinched along one edge, and in this connectionanother object of the invention is to prevent tearing of the tag onremoval.

In the accomplishment of these objects, the metal molding is formedalong one edge with a bead that merely seats the corresponding edge ofthe tag loosely. The other edge is formed with a bead that pinches thetag in the manner indicated. This bead is rolled or formed in a mannerto bring the free edge of the metal into close proximity with theattached edge of the bead, that is, the line at which the bead proceedsfrom the face of the molding. This free edge or lip is spaced slightlyfrom the body of metal, or at a distance equal to or minutely smallerthan the thickness of the inserted tag so that the tag is pinchedtherein, at a very short distance from its edge. By reason of this shortdistance, the tag may readily be pried out with a tool, without tearingthe tag, whereas tearing would more likely occur if the tag were pinchedat a substantial distance from its edge.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the followingdescription and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the molding with a tag therein;

Figure 2 is an end view of the molding on a shelf, showing the manner ofinserting a tag;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the tag fully inserted;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar detail showing the first operation in removing thetag, and

Figure 6 is a similar detail showing the tag in its final positionduring removal.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of 2,794,279 ?atentedJune 4, 195

like characters which are employed to designate corresponding partsthroughout.

The molding is made of metal and may be assumed to be formed by rollinga strip of sheet metal. The body of the molding forms a concave face 1extending the entire length of the molding. Along one edge, preferablythe upper edge, is formed a seat by bending the metalforwardly at 2returning it rearwardly at 3 beyond the face 1, bending it back at 4 tothe concave-convex body and finally shaping a flange 5 lying close tothe convex side. A groove 6 is formed in the longitudinal center of theface 1 for a purpose to be described, and smaller grooves 7 are formedat opposite sides thereof for stiffening. By forming the groovesrearward from the face 1, the inserted price tag may take a curvaturecorresponding to the face 1 when in engagement therewith.

The lower marginal portion of the metal or other stock is rolled to forma head 8 terminating in a lip 9 directed downward and presenting thefree edge 10 of the metal at a short distance 12 from the body of themetal or the line where the bead joins the face 1. The lower edge of thetag 15 is inserted between the free edge 10 of the lip 9 and the face 1.The upper edge is set in the relatively wide seat 16 formed by theportion 2, whereby the tag assumes an outwardly bulged condition asshown in Figure 2. The

tag is then pressed into contact with the face 1 to assume fullconcavity on its printed surface, whereupon the lower marginal portionof the tag is projected farther through the narrow space 12 as shown inFigure 3. This space is so narrow that the tag is actually forced andpinched therein, at a short distance below its lower edge. This distancepermits the use of tags that are somewhat less than standard height,while tags of greater than standard height also accommodated by merelyprojecting farther into the bead. The free edge if! is also spacedmaterially at 11 from the body or crown of the bead to permit variationin the exent of projection of the tag into the bead, corresponding tovarious heights of tags.

T he Celluloid tags which are in common use are known to become set tothe shape of the molding. This difliculty is overcome by maintaining thetag in surface contact with a concave face as here shown and byreversing the curvahire from time to time, since the tags are printed onboth sides.

The tag is removed by use of a prying tool 20 forced behind it at thegroove 6, as known in the art. Since the tag is held under tensionagainst the face 1, it would ordinarily spring or fly out of the moldingon being pried, as is the case with other molding constructions. In thepresent construction, however, the upper edge withdraws freely from theloose seat 16 while the lower edge is retained in the tight space 12until pulled out by hand, as shown in Figure 6.

If the bead 8-10 were duplicated at the opposite edge, such prying forcewould tear the tag at one or both edges. The loose seat 16 is thereforepreferable. The oblique angle of the lip 9 to the face 1 is alsoadvantageous. If it were more nearly perpendicular to the face, it wouldpinch the tag at a greater distance from its edge. On being pulled out,the greater width thereof would be pulled along the pinching edge 10,with the result that tearing would be more probable. The shorterdistance between the pinch line and the edge of the tag, as herein,permits the corresponding width of the tag to snap or pull out of thepinch more readily.

The terms upper and lower are merely relative, since the disclosedmolding may be inverted to bring the bead 8-10 upward and the seat 16downward.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that various alterations in the detailsof construction will be of the strip for frictionally made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appendedclaim.

What we claim is:

In a price tag molding arranged for frictionally grasping and holding aprice tag'card and formed of an elongated, narrow strip of thin gaugesheet'metal material with the strip being concave in cross-section andhaving a beading extending the length of the strip and formed on the upper edge of the strip and arranged for abutting and bounding the upperedge of a price tag card which is formed of a relatively stiff, butsomewhat resilient thin gauge sheet material and with the card being ofsufficient length to lie flat upon the concave molding surface with theupper edge incontact with the upper beading and with its lower edgeextending to the lower edge of the molding strip, the improvementconsisting of means'formed on the lower edge grasping the extreme loweredge of the card,- said means-comprising a beading formed integral'withthe lower edge of the strip and bent upwards and away from the stripinto the form of a roll which is bent back at an acute angle towards thestrip to form a funnel shaped cross-section with the strip andterminating in agrasping edge arranged adjacent the extreme lower edgeof the strip near the point Where the beading roll be gins and with thegrasping edge being parallel to and extending the length of the stripand being spaced from the strip a distance slightly less than thethickness of a price tag card, so that a price tag card may be insertedinto the strip with the upper edge thereof abutting against the upperheading and with the lower edge thereof guided by the funnel shapedcross-section to the point where the grasping edge is spaced'from thestrip and with the card thus being bowed outwardly relative to thestrip, wherein pressure upon the card directed towards the strip causesthe card lower edge to resiliently spring the'grasping edge slightlyaway from the strip to permit the card extreme lower edge to pass intothe rolled bead and be held between the grasping edge and the strip atits extreme lower edge and with the card then being in full contact withthe strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

